This disclosure relates to a positioning and locking mechanism and articles that utilize these mechanisms.
Numerous devices use linear actuators for purposes of positioning articles such as entrances (doors) in automobiles and residential buildings, jaws of power tools, platens in manufacturing devices such as injection molding machines, compression molding machines, band saws, or the like. Actuators commonly use a combination of pneumatic and electrical devices to achieve such positioning. However, the use of pneumatic and electrical actuators are expensive and occupy an extensive amount of space. It is therefore desirable to use actuators for positioning that are compact, consume less power, are easily controllable and can provide accuracy and sensitivity to the device.